Prosecutors investigating suspicions of false interviews conducted a search and seizure of Newstapa and JTBC , which reported on suspicions of tampering with the investigation of President Yoon Seok-yeol .
Journalists who covered and reported related content were also subject to mandatory investigation.
Let’s connect with the reporter to hear more details. Reporter Kim Hye-rin!
The prosecution launched a forced investigation into the media company, but the search and seizure has now ended, right?
[Reporter]
Yes, the search and seizure process that started at Newstapa in Jung-gu, Seoul at around 8:50 am today (14th) ended around 4 pm. The targets of today’s search and seizure also included the JTBC
headquarters building in Mapo-gu and the homes of a Newstapa reporter Han and former JTBC reporter Bong Ji-wook. Newstapa faced off with the prosecution for over two hours, holding pickets with slogans such as ‘Protect Freedom of the Press’ and shouting slogans. Kim Yong-jin, CEO of Newstapa, criticized it as a shame that will remain in history, saying it clearly shows the oppression of the media by political prosecutors who protect the regime, not the people. Coincidentally, today, when the search and seizure took place, is the day Newstapa announced that it would announce the results of the prosecution’s special activity fee verification. While the search and seizure was in progress, Newstapa held a press conference claiming that the prosecution was illegally using special activity funds. [Anchor] Please explain in detail the background of today’s search and seizure.
[Reporter]
Yes, the charges against Newstapa reporter Han and former JTBC reporter Bong Ji-wook in relation to the search and seizure are defamation, etc.
The prosecution believes that President Yoon was defamed by reporting false information just before the last presidential election.
Previously, Newstapa reported a recording of Kim Man-bae on March 6 last year, three days before the presidential election.
This file contains a statement to the effect that President Yoon, who was the head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Central Investigation Division 2 during the Busan Savings Bank investigation in 2011, had cleared the way for the investigation of Daejeon-dong loan broker Cho Woo-hyung.
The prosecution believes that Kim Man-bae conducted a false interview with Shin Shin-lim, former chairman of the media union, who was a member of Newstapa’s expert committee, on September 15 of the year before last, and gave former chairman Shin 165 million won in kickback in return.
Earlier, in February of last year, JTBC reported on suspicions that President Yoon had tampered with the investigation, citing attorney Nam Wook’s investigation data.
However, the prosecution’s view is that during the reporting process, they intentionally omitted the statement of Jo Woo-hyung, who denied the suspicions메이저사이트, saying that there was no investigation.
Prosecutors’ officials dismissed criticism that today’s search and seizure was suppression of the media, saying that circumstances were confirmed that false reports were made with malicious intent,
and that an investigation was launched to confirm the circumstances of the reports and collusion.
The prosecution today analyzed evidence obtained through search and seizure of Newstapa and JTBC .
Reporters Han and Bong Ji-wook also plan to be summoned as suspects and investigated soon.
The Ministry of Social Affairs has delivered this information so far.